After years of having to trim down plasterboard and chuck away all the offcuts, Britain’s biggest house-builders are finally able to buy plasterboard in the size that they actually require. Above: 100mm plasterboard offcuts Working with Barratt Developments, British Gypsum has produced a new, smaller plasterboard product that greatly reduces
Richard Elman intends to relinquish his position of executive chairman Noble Group, the beleaguered commodities trader, on Friday announced its founder would step down as chairman within a year as it also unveiled plans for a $500m rights issue to cut its debt load. Richard Elman intends to relinquish his
Browser does not support script. Contact us Today, 13 April 2015, the RIBA responded to the launch of the Labour Party’s 2015 General Election Manifesto. Discussing the issues of Housing, Planning, Schools Building and Flood Defences – all key components of the RIBA’s #BuildaBetterCampaign – the RIBA President Stephen Hodder
Seven employees from Boulting Group, the engineering solutions provider have successfully managed to complete a GWO accredited offshore wind health and safety survival training course. The completion of this globally recognised course will allow bolting Group to further expand their operations into the offshore renewable energy sector. Taking part in
The offsite construction company, The McAvoy Group has craned the final modules into position at the site of the new Concordia Academy. The site, located in Romford will see a new £8.2 million building constructed by the offsite solution specialists. The building will be used to accommodate 630 primary school
The Co-founder of SkyCiv, the structural design software provider, Sam Carigliano has been looking into the ways that Software as a Service, or SaaS, can be used to offer more. At the moment, although some people may not be familiar with the term SaaS, the software is used often. The
R G Carter, the region’s leading construction company has announced that they have opened their brand new engineering facility. The site is located in Attleborough and is the result of £14 million investment from the company. The creation of this new engineering facility will bring together its ground investigation, design,
Mick George Ltd, the East Anglia based construction company has been constructed to carry out the demolition work as a progression of a £1 billion venture by Countryside Zest (Beaulieu Park) LLP. The construction work on this epic development is expected to take another ten years, although the first phase
Drone technology is beginning to take off in the UK and Irish construction industry, according to a new survey by ProDroneWorx, one of the UK’s leading companies for aerial mapping, inspection and surveying. According to the survey – ‘Drone Technology within the Construction Industry’ – a third of respondents are
After years of having to trim down plasterboard and chuck away all the offcuts, Britain’s biggest house-builders are finally able to buy plasterboard in the size that they actually require. Above: 100mm plasterboard offcuts Working with Barratt Developments, British Gypsum has produced a new, smaller plasterboard product that greatly reduces waste for the house-building industry and saves thousands of pounds. Previously, Barratt and other house-builders had to buy 2400mm lengths of the standard 12.5mm-thick plasterboard and then cut 100mm off it, filling up skips with waste material. However, British Gypsum is now producing the 2300mm lengths instead, which Barratt estimates will reduce its annual waste by at least 1,200 tonnes. The new smaller plasterboard will also help reduce house-builders’ carbon footprint, reducing the transport and recycling of waste. It also means British Gypsum can use smaller pallets to transport it, so saving on timber. To ensure it was financially viable, Barratt Developments enlisted wider industry support from other major house-builders who were also interested in using the smaller sized plasterboard. After trialling the new size on schemes across two divisions, Barratt Developments has instructed its plastering contractors to use it wherever possible. Other house-builders are now speaking to British Gypsum about trialling the product too. Daniel Smith, group commercial operations director at Barratt Developments, said: “We had highlighted the need for a 2300mm plasterboard size before but working in isolation made this impractical. But this time, by collaborating with other housebuilders, we were able to demonstrate the new size had industry wide appeal which made it worthwhile. It’s fantastic to be able to make so many savings by simply using a smaller plasterboard. Sometimes the simplest changes do make the biggest difference.” Ian Winroth, business development director at British Gypsum, said: “It’s fantastic to see the serious public commitment Barratt has made to reducing the amount of waste created and to improving recycling rates. It creates a clear driver for material suppliers to consider how they can contribute to achieving these objectives.” As part of its sustainability strategy, Barratt Developments it is aiming to reduce its waste output by 2% a year. This article was published on 29 Sep 2016 (last updated on 29 Sep 2016). Source link
Richard Elman intends to relinquish his position of executive chairman Noble Group, the beleaguered commodities trader, on Friday announced its founder would step down as chairman within a year as it also unveiled plans for a $500m rights issue to cut its debt load. Richard Elman intends to relinquish his position of executive chairman, and this follows Noble’s announcement on Monday that Yusuf Alireza was resigning as chief executive. More On this topic IN Commodities Hong Kong-based Noble slumped to its first net loss in almost 20 years last year, as the commodities crash took its toll on the company. But Asia’s biggest commodities trader has also been contending with questions about its accounting since early last year, and credit rating agencies have cut Noble to junk status partly because of concerns about its ability to refinance its debts. The proposed rights issue to raise net proceeds of $500m, which must be approved by shareholders, is deeply discounted. Noble’s shares fell 13 per cent on Friday to S$0.260. The stock has fallen 64 per cent during the past year. Singapore-listed Noble said in a statement that Mr Elman, a UK-born former scrap metal dealer who founded the company in 1986, “wishes to step down as executive chairman within the next 12 months”. Noble outlined changes to its corporate governance, saying its next chairman would have non-executive status, and that it was adding another non-executive director to the board. Mr Elman is Noble’s largest shareholder, with a 22.28 per cent stake, but is expected to be diluted in the rights issue. He has committed to buying 9.6 per cent of the new shares being issued, and could buy more stock through a so-called tail swallow arrangement. One analyst said this may indicate Mr Elman, 76, is constrained by lack of capital. Noble declined to comment on this, or explain why he had decided to step down as chairman. Mr Elman’s future role at Noble is unclear. China Investment Corporation, the Chinese sovereign wealth fund that is Noble’s third-largest shareholder with a 9.65 per cent stake, has agreed to buy 9.6 per cent of the new shares. It will secure a second seat on Noble’s board. Noble said proceeds from the rights issue would be partly used to repay debts falling due in 2017 and 2018. At March 31, Noble had net debt of $3.7bn. Mr Elman said Noble had “moved firmly to re-position our balance sheet”, adding: “Combined with focusing our operations on our high return market leading franchises, we are confident we now have the profile and capital structure to enable us to best capture the opportunities we see going forward”. Under new joint chief executives Will Randall and Jeff Frase, Noble intends to focus on trading in commodities including oil, gas and coal. ©Reuters Yusuf Alireza, who has resigned as chief executive Noble also said on Friday it was planning to cut headcount, sales, administration and operating expenses by more than 20 per cent during 2016. On Monday, Noble announced plans to sell its electricity supply business in the US, called Noble Americas Energy Solutions. This and other disposals, plus further measures, are intended to raise $1.5bn for Noble. Under the proposed rights issue, one new share will be issued for every existing Noble share at a price of S$0.11 each, representing a 63 per cent discount to the company’s closing stock price on Thursday. Noble has defended its accounting since February 2015, when Iceberg Research, a previously unknown research firm, started to highlight how the company had reported much higher net profits over the past five years than it had generated cash. Analysts welcomed Mr Elman’s decision to step down, noting his age and sometimes combative style. Bernard Aw, analyst at IG, said: “A lot of detractors say that he is not being transparent about the company. By stepping down, he gives a signal that he is really concerned about its future.” Analysts also suggested that Chinese investors were likely to take an interest in Noble’s rights issue, as China is the biggest user of the commodities that the company supplies. Margaret Yang, analyst at CMC Markets, welcomed Noble’s decision to tap equity markets. “Previously, the management has borrowed new debt to repay old, and sold core businesses,” she said. “Raising money from the equity markets to strengthen the balance sheet should support future growth and may turn the company round.” How Elman rode the Asia boom Few saw the rise of Asia as a manufacturing and trading powerhouse as clearly as Richard Elman, who founded Hong Kong-based Noble Group in 1986. Through the 1990s and 2000s Asia was booming, and Mr Elman became a billionaire on the back of the prosperity being generated. When Sir Jimmy Goldsmith bought a stake in Noble in 1994, the buccaneering financier and industrialist originally assumed the commodities trader was a subsidiary of one of China’s state enterprises, given how many vessels bearing the company’s name steamed in and out of Chinese ports. Staff at Mitsui and other Japanese trading firms found their only competition in carrying iron to their country from India for final processing was Noble. Mr Elman diversified Noble, from metals and then energy into agricultural commodities, and turned the company into a global as well as a regional player. But as Noble grew larger, it did not become stronger. Risk management was never properly centralised and remained weak, according to former executives at the company. And lack of transparent accounting made Noble’s shares vulnerable to short sellers. Under Mr Elman’s hand, Noble failed to anticipate slowing demand for commodities in China in recent years. He also brought in executives and then turned on them, including Ricardo Leiman, former chief executive, and Toby Brown, former chairman. Some of these executives left on bad terms, including Mr Leiman, who sued Noble. Now shareholders appear to have turned on Mr Elman, driving down Noble’s stock by 64 per cent over the past year. He will step down as Noble’s
Browser does not support script. Contact us Today, 13 April 2015, the RIBA responded to the launch of the Labour Party’s 2015 General Election Manifesto. Discussing the issues of Housing, Planning, Schools Building and Flood Defences – all key components of the RIBA’s #BuildaBetterCampaign – the RIBA President Stephen Hodder said: On Housing: ‘We welcome the idea that homes should be built where people want to live and shape their communities. The RIBA believes that, to deliver truly affordable housing, the Government needs to remove the Local Authority borrowing cap on Housing Revenue Account receipts.’ On Planning: ‘The Next Government should review the National Policy Planning Framework to ensure that it balances the tennets of sustainability. In particular we need to see stronger guidance on viability negotiations to tackle the delays in the current system.’ On Schools Building: ‘Labour’s commitment to protect the schools budget must be accompanied by an acknowledgement of the need to invest in the UK’s schools estate. We face a growing shortage of school places, and 80% of our school buildings are in poor condition, failing the students and teachers trying to learn and teach in them. Well-designed buildings improve well-being and cut maintenance costs – vital to the long-term future of the UK’s education system.’ On Flood Defences: ‘The next Government should provide real security for communities in areas affected by flooding by introducing legislation committing successive UK governments to build flooding resilience as a strategic priority over the next 100 years. We welcome Labour’s commitments to prioritise investment in flood prevention to better protect communities.’ ENDS Notes to editors: 1. The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) champions better buildings, communities and the environment through architecture and our members www.architecture.com 2. Follow us on Twitter for regular RIBA updates www.twitter.com/RIBA 3. For more information or interview requests, members of the press should contact: Gagandeep Bedi, Press Officer, RIBA: gagandeep.bedi@riba.org 020 7307 3814 Posted on Monday 13th April 2015 Search architecture.com just start typing and hit enter again × Browser does not support script. Browser does not support script. Source link
Seven employees from Boulting Group, the engineering solutions provider have successfully managed to complete a GWO accredited offshore wind health and safety survival training course. The completion of this globally recognised course will allow bolting Group to further expand their operations into the offshore renewable energy sector. Taking part in this intensive training course was one engineer, five electricians and one supervisor from Boulting Group. During the course, which took place over seven days, the team covered a range of different modules for sea survival which includes first aid, manual handling, fire awareness and working at height and rescue. The presence of offshore wind is considered to be the future of power for the United Kingdom. In September 2017, the cost of wind power fell to almost half the price of nuclear power, the boom in this energy source has led to a high demand in qualified engineering firms with the experience required to work on such projects. Boulting Group has a wealth of experience working in the energy sector, particularly with oil, gas and renewables. The company has always made sure that health and safety was at the centre of every operation that is carried out. In order to maintain their commitment to quality, the company’s workers undergo comprehensive training in order to ensure their impeccable health and safety record continues, even with the challenging environments that would be created by working on offshore facilities. As a part of their expansion into this sector, Boulting’s team are required to stay in offshore accommodation, provided by a jack up vessel which is moored adjacent to the substation platform. The team as part of these works will then be required to live in the turbulent, dangerous offshore conditions while working night shifts on a two week on, one week off rotation. After the training, the team will now be able to provide a wide range of services to both the offshore and onshore portions of the project.
The offsite construction company, The McAvoy Group has craned the final modules into position at the site of the new Concordia Academy. The site, located in Romford will see a new £8.2 million building constructed by the offsite solution specialists. The building will be used to accommodate 630 primary school children. The structure for then 2,972 square meter free school has been manufactured offsite by McAvoy, who have used the latest modular technology in order to reduce the build programme as well as minimise the level of disruption caused to those working on or near to the site. The offsite construction company have also used the latest solutions available in order to deliver the highest quality building possible. The building has taken just 12 days to crane into position, and consisted of 67 steel-framed building modules in total. The new Primary school is being constructed on the site of a former nurses’ home in Romford. The offsite modules, measuring 16.5m long and 17-tonnes in weight were craned into place with the help of a 300-tonne crane. This new academy has been funded by the Department for Education via the Education and Skills Funding Agency, with the overall construction designed by Blue Sky Architects. This new educational facility will create an exemplar space for learning for the local children and much needed primary school places. When completed, the school will be operated by REAch2 Academy Trust, the UK’s largest primary only academy trust. The delivery and installation of the modular units by McAvoy has been a vital milestone for the construction of this new Academy. The project is continuing to move forward so that, when completed, the facility will be available to meet the rising demand for school places in Romford for the start of the 2018/19 academic year. The groundworks and infrastructure were well prepared, which means that he installation of the different modules was quick and efficient.
The Co-founder of SkyCiv, the structural design software provider, Sam Carigliano has been looking into the ways that Software as a Service, or SaaS, can be used to offer more. At the moment, although some people may not be familiar with the term SaaS, the software is used often. The concept offers a lot of benefits for the users including ongoing technical support. Since the global recession, which took place almost a decade ago now, there has been a significant change in the way that people purchase and consume products. For example, in the housing market the rising cost of houses has led to a significant increase in the amount of properties being rented. According to recent analysis that has come from the Pew Research Center there are currently more houses being rented in the US now than at any point since at least 1965. Renting is not a new concept but there has been a discernable shift to renting, lending and sharing goods instead of buying them. The shift to sharing products and services as opposed to owning them is now reflected in the software that is being used at the moment. The development and viability of cloud computing is a prime example of SaaS, where users pay subscription fees to use a program or a platform. This means that high quality software to individuals that would previously been unable to afford it. SkyCiv has been exploring a range of possible developments of SaaS for structural engineers. As a part of this the company’s entire suite of structural design and analysis software is cloud based. This allows the company’s specialists to view user projects and provide a more extensive troubleshooting and software problems. The cloud based operations also allow for more of a consultative support to be offered as well. With the development of the sharing economy and SaaS, it is vital that all users seek to make the most of their chosen subscriptions. For structural engineers the value of software comes from the professional consultation of specially trained experts available as well.
R G Carter, the region’s leading construction company has announced that they have opened their brand new engineering facility. The site is located in Attleborough and is the result of £14 million investment from the company. The creation of this new engineering facility will bring together its ground investigation, design, piling and civil engineering teams onto one site. R G Carter hope that the creation of this new site, and the combination of a wide range of different offerings under one roof will help to provide an enhanced service for both current and potential new clients. The progress has been seen as an exciting time for the construction company and will help them to bring their engineering companies together, while also having the opportunity to make the most of purpose-built facilities which will help employees to work more closely together in order to improve our services to R G Carter’s clients. The new laboratory is UKAS accredited and is known for being one of the best equipped facilities in East Anglia. The new site will offer the company a great foundation for them to develop their soil and materials testing capabilities. The creation of this new facility will help to provide the local community with extra jobs and will also look to engage with local schools by offering tours of their new site. This newly built site is an exceptional facility and home for the company and it is thought that the move to a much larger site with all the equipment available that they require, will allow R G Carter to deliver their best results and work more efficiently with each other. At the official opening ceremony of the new Attleborough facility there were demonstrations to showcase the equipment installed on site. The demonstrations included the 3D printing capabilities as well as ground investigation drilling, foundation pile auguring, plant maintenance and welding.
Mick George Ltd, the East Anglia based construction company has been constructed to carry out the demolition work as a progression of a £1 billion venture by Countryside Zest (Beaulieu Park) LLP. The construction work on this epic development is expected to take another ten years, although the first phase of the work has been completed. The vibrant new district is under construction on the north east edge of Chelmsford, and has been making progress. The first phase of the development has been completed and now the teams on site are moving toward the development of another area of the site. The overall project will have 3,600 new homes as well as a wide range of community facilities such as primary schools, a railway station, commercial units and other open park amenities. The construction work is taking place on 580 acres of farmland and has been designed to have different residential areas with their own character. There will also be clever links between the 176 acres of open space with the surrounding countryside. The development has already proved popular with potential homebuyers, located in the London commuter belt as well as close to the local attractions of Chelmsford. The 615 homes from the first phase have already been sold, with asking prices of more than £900,000. The commercial opportunities as a part of this construction work has also proven to be popular, with the Square Exchange and Central zones of the development seeing positive attention. Mick George Ltd has said that their relationship with Countryside Properties is strong and positive. The development company have a lot of connections in this area of the country, and the construction company have expressed their gratitude at the opportunity to work on this project with the Countryside. Mick George has expanded over the years in order to become one of the leading suppliers to the construction industry in East Anglia and the East Midlands.
Drone technology is beginning to take off in the UK and Irish construction industry, according to a new survey by ProDroneWorx, one of the UK’s leading companies for aerial mapping, inspection and surveying. According to the survey – ‘Drone Technology within the Construction Industry’ – a third of respondents are currently using drone technology, and of those that do not, nearly 70% plan to do so in future. In the first survey of its kind in the UK and Ireland, ProDroneWorx asked senior figures within the construction industry, including surveyors, architects, engineers and construction firms, about their perception, usage and understanding of drone technology. The response to this survey was impressive with over 160 respondents taking part across the UK and Ireland. ProDroneWorx believes that drone technology will transform traditional business models and help to reshape the construction industry. Indeed, early adopters are already starting to see a positive impact on their operational processes from the way projects are monitored to the inspection of assets. Ian Tansey, Managing Director at ProDroneWorx, said: “In a world of tight margins and an increasingly competitive landscape, the use of drone technology gives construction firms a significant competitive advantage over their peers through reduced costs, increased productivity gains and the mitigation of risk”. Key takeaways from the survey: A third of respondents (33%) are currently using drone technology in their operations. These early adopters understand the benefits it brings to their organisations The majority of respondents (67%) are currently not using drone technology. However, most plan to do so in the future. Of the 33% that are currently using drone technology: o The majority (60%) have been using it for less than a year. o However, 11% of this sub-group have been using the technology for the last 3 to 5 years making them very early adopters o The three main reasons firms are using the technology are: Time savings (49%) Increased operational efficiency (49%) Cost savings (47%) Even though a large percentage (67%) of firms are not currently using drone technology, there’s huge pent-up demand as 77% of this group plan on using the technology in future. Only a small proportion of firms have no plans to use the technology in the future. Construction firms have two options when it comes to deciding how to incorporate drone technology into their business models and workflow: creating an internal drone unit/function; or using a 3rd party specialist. o Overall, the vast majority of firms (67%) plan to or currently use 3rd party specialist companies on their projects rather than having an internal drone function within their company. o Issues such as regulation, licensing, insurance, hardware, software and data processing are factors putting firms off an internal function. o Many find it easier, cheaper and less risky to use a professional drone solutions company on projects. Awareness of drone technology and the various benefits it brings is high within the industry; 75% of respondents understand how the technology can be used within their business. Although drone technology has many applications within the construction industry, currently its primary use is in photography & video, surveying, asset inspection and progress monitoring. Respondent Demographics: 161 respondents completed the survey The majority of respondents (82%) were from England, followed by the Republic of Ireland at 8%; a smaller number were from Scotland (5%) and Wales (3%). 27% of respondents were from the construction sector, 19% Architecture, 18% Surveying, 12% 0ther (Ecology, Agriculture, Consultancy etc) and 7% Engineering. About ProDroneWorx ProDroneWorx is one of the UK’s leading companies for aerial mapping, inspection and surveying. As a drone technology specialist, we pride ourselves on our professionalism and commitment to improving operational efficiency, reducing costs, mitigating risk and improving health and safety for our clients through the use of drone technology. Our services include surveying, asset inspection, progress monitoring, measurements (volume, area & distance), 3D modelling, orthomosaics, digital surface/terrain models (DSM & DTM), thermal imaging and photography & video. We primarily work within the construction industry, servicing property developers, construction firms, groundwork firms, civil and structural engineers, surveyors, architects, landscape architects and land buyers/sellers.
